A well known method of magnetic recording on a magnetic medium is carried out by irradiating light locally onto a region of the magnetic recording medium in a magnetic field so that the heat energy generated by the irradiation changes the magnetic state of the region. This method has been known to provide a high-density recording promoted by the laser light.
However, since most conventional magnetic media of this kind are ferromagnetic, the above mentioned method has a drawback that the magnetic spins are oriented in parallel with the surface of the medium due to the internal magnetic field, preventing high density recording. On the other hand, TbFeCo alloy, which is an only commercially available perpendicular-magnetic recording medium for such magneto-optical recording, has disadvantages that it is not only expensive but also easily oxidized.